Plot Plot refers to the series of events that give the story its meaning and effect. In most stories, these events arise out of conflict experienced by the main character. As the character makes choices and tries to resolve the problem, the story's action is shaped and plot is generated. In most fictions, the story begins with rising action as the character experiences conflict through a series of plot complications that entangle him or her more deeply in the problem. This conflict reaches a climax, after which the conflict is resolve, and the falling action leads quickly to the story's end.
Plot Summary
At the annual dance and dinner party held by Kate and Julia Morkan and their young niece, Mary Jane Morkan, the housemaid Lily frantically greets guests. The party draws together a variety of relatives and friends. Kate and Julia particularly await the arrival of their favorite nephew, Gabriel Conroy, and his wife, Gretta. When they arrive, Gabriel attempts to chat with Lily as she takes his coat, but she snaps in reply to his question about her love life. Gabriel ends the uncomfortable exchange by giving Lily a generous tip, but the experience makes him anxious. He relaxes when he joins his aunts and Gretta. They discuss their decision to stay at a hotel that evening rather than make the long trip home. The arrival of another guest, the always-drunk Freddy Malins, disrupts the conversation. Gabriel makes sure that Freddy is fit to join the party while the guests chat over drinks in between taking breaks from the dancing. An older gentleman, Mr. Browne, flirts with some young girls, who dodge his advances. Gabriel steers a drunken Freddy toward the drawing room to get help from Mr. Browne, who attempts to sober Freddy up.
The party continues with a piano performance by Mary Jane. More dancing follows, which finds Gabriel paired up with Molly Ivors, a fellow university instructor. A fervent supporter of Irish culture, Miss Ivors embarrasses Gabriel by labeling him a “West Briton” for writing literary reviews for a conservative newspaper. Gabriel dismisses the accusation, but Miss Ivors pushes the point by inviting Gabriel to visit the Aran Isles, where Irish is spoken, during the summer. When Gabriel declines, explaining that he has arranged a cycling trip on the continent, Miss Ivors corners him about his lack of interest in his own country. Gabriel exclaims that he is sick of Ireland. After the dance, he flees to a corner and engages in a few more conversations, but he cannot forget the interlude with Miss Ivors.
Just before dinner, Julia sings a song for the guests. Miss Ivors makes her exit to the surprise of Mary Jane and Gretta, and to the relief of Gabriel. Finally, dinner is ready, and Gabriel assumes his place at the head of the table to carve the goose. After much fussing, everyone eats, and finally Gabriel delivers his speech, in which he praises Kate, Julia, and Mary Jane for their hospitality. Framing this quality as an Irish strength, Gabriel laments the present age in which such hospitality is undervalued. Nevertheless, he insists, people must not linger on the past and the dead, but live and rejoice in the present with the living. The table breaks into a loud applause for Gabriel’s speech, and the entire party toasts their three hostesses.
Later, guests begin to leave, and Gabriel recounts a story about his grandfather and his horse, which forever walked in circles even when taken out of the mill where it worked. After finishing the anecdote, Gabriel realizes that Gretta stands transfixed by the song that Mr. Bartell D’Arcy sings in the drawing room. When the music stops and the rest of the party guests assemble before the door to leave, Gretta remains detached and thoughtful. Gabriel is enamored with and preoccupied by his wife’s mysterious mood and recalls their courtship as they walk from the house and catch a cab into Dublin.
At the hotel, Gabriel grows irritated by Gretta’s behavior. She does not seem to share his romantic inclinations, and in fact bursts into tears. Gretta confesses that she has been thinking of the song from the party because a former lover had sung it to her in her youth in Galway. Gretta recounts the sad story of this boy, Michael Furey, who died after waiting outside of her window in the cold. Gretta later falls asleep, but Gabriel remains awake, disturbed by Gretta’s new information. He curls up on the bed, contemplating his own mortality. Seeing the snow at the window, he envisions it blanketing the graveyard where Michael Furey rests, as well as all of Ireland.
Plot Analysis
In "The Dead", most of the short story is rising action because the main character, Gabriel Conroy, slowly experiences conflict through a series of events. The rising action mainly takes place at the party hosted by Julia, Kate, and Mary Jane Morkan. Gabriel, their favorite nephew, portrays himself as an authoritative figure until he is challenged by two women, Lily the housemaid and Molly Ivors, a fellow professor. This is when Gabiel starts to experience conflict because Lily's response to his question about her love life and Molly Ivor's teasing about his article in The Daily Express unnerves him. He is consistently thinking about these two encounters throughout the party. Therefore, it demonstrates that Gabriel slowly experiences conflict through these two events. The rising action also continues as Gabriel and his wife, Gretta, leave the party to go back to their hotel. Most of Gabriel's thoughts at this point are all about his wife and their romantic memories together. As Gabriel is more romantically inclinated towards his wife, the story comes to a climax because the reader does not know how Gretta will react in response to Gabriel's thoughts and actions. To the surprise of both Gabriel and the reader, Gretta dissolves into tears and recounts the sad story of her first lover, Michael Furey. The conflict is resolved when Gretta falls asleep and Gabriel comtemplates further and experiences an epiphany that his life lacks passion and his marriage lacks true love. This is ultimately the falling action in "The Dead". Overall, although "The Dead" follows the plot structure, its rising action can be seen as very long and slow. Its climax and falling action, however, is right towards the end of the story and takes place very rapidly. James Joyce's style of using an epiphany is often seen in the falling action when the main character experiences a self-realization. This then quickly leads to the story's end.
Plot refers to the series of events that give the story its meaning and effect. In most stories, these events arise out of conflict experienced by the main character. As the character makes choices and tries to resolve the problem, the story's action is shaped and plot is generated. In most fictions, the story begins with rising action as the character experiences conflict through a series of plot complications that entangle him or her more deeply in the problem. This conflict reaches a climax, after which the conflict is resolve, and the falling action leads quickly to the story's end.
Plot Summary
At the annual dance and dinner party held by Kate and Julia Morkan and their young niece, Mary Jane Morkan, the housemaid Lily frantically greets guests. The party draws together a variety of relatives and friends. Kate and Julia particularly await the arrival of their favorite nephew, Gabriel Conroy, and his wife, Gretta. When they arrive, Gabriel attempts to chat with Lily as she takes his coat, but she snaps in reply to his question about her love life. Gabriel ends the uncomfortable exchange by giving Lily a generous tip, but the experience makes him anxious. He relaxes when he joins his aunts and Gretta. They discuss their decision to stay at a hotel that evening rather than make the long trip home. The arrival of another guest, the always-drunk Freddy Malins, disrupts the conversation. Gabriel makes sure that Freddy is fit to join the party while the guests chat over drinks in between taking breaks from the dancing. An older gentleman, Mr. Browne, flirts with some young girls, who dodge his advances. Gabriel steers a drunken Freddy toward the drawing room to get help from Mr. Browne, who attempts to sober Freddy up.
The party continues with a piano performance by Mary Jane. More dancing follows, which finds Gabriel paired up with Molly Ivors, a fellow university instructor. A fervent supporter of Irish culture, Miss Ivors embarrasses Gabriel by labeling him a “West Briton” for writing literary reviews for a conservative newspaper. Gabriel dismisses the accusation, but Miss Ivors pushes the point by inviting Gabriel to visit the Aran Isles, where Irish is spoken, during the summer. When Gabriel declines, explaining that he has arranged a cycling trip on the continent, Miss Ivors corners him about his lack of interest in his own country. Gabriel exclaims that he is sick of Ireland. After the dance, he flees to a corner and engages in a few more conversations, but he cannot forget the interlude with Miss Ivors.
Just before dinner, Julia sings a song for the guests. Miss Ivors makes her exit to the surprise of Mary Jane and Gretta, and to the relief of Gabriel. Finally, dinner is ready, and Gabriel assumes his place at the head of the table to carve the goose. After much fussing, everyone eats, and finally Gabriel delivers his speech, in which he praises Kate, Julia, and Mary Jane for their hospitality. Framing this quality as an Irish strength, Gabriel laments the present age in which such hospitality is undervalued. Nevertheless, he insists, people must not linger on the past and the dead, but live and rejoice in the present with the living. The table breaks into a loud applause for Gabriel’s speech, and the entire party toasts their three hostesses.
Later, guests begin to leave, and Gabriel recounts a story about his grandfather and his horse, which forever walked in circles even when taken out of the mill where it worked. After finishing the anecdote, Gabriel realizes that Gretta stands transfixed by the song that Mr. Bartell D’Arcy sings in the drawing room. When the music stops and the rest of the party guests assemble before the door to leave, Gretta remains detached and thoughtful. Gabriel is enamored with and preoccupied by his wife’s mysterious mood and recalls their courtship as they walk from the house and catch a cab into Dublin.
At the hotel, Gabriel grows irritated by Gretta’s behavior. She does not seem to share his romantic inclinations, and in fact bursts into tears. Gretta confesses that she has been thinking of the song from the party because a former lover had sung it to her in her youth in Galway. Gretta recounts the sad story of this boy, Michael Furey, who died after waiting outside of her window in the cold. Gretta later falls asleep, but Gabriel remains awake, disturbed by Gretta’s new information. He curls up on the bed, contemplating his own mortality. Seeing the snow at the window, he envisions it blanketing the graveyard where Michael Furey rests, as well as all of Ireland.
Plot Analysis
In "The Dead", most of the short story is rising action because the main character, Gabriel Conroy, slowly experiences conflict through a series of events. The rising action mainly takes place at the party hosted by Julia, Kate, and Mary Jane Morkan. Gabriel, their favorite nephew, portrays himself as an authoritative figure until he is challenged by two women, Lily the housemaid and Molly Ivors, a fellow professor. This is when Gabiel starts to experience conflict because Lily's response to his question about her love life and Molly Ivor's teasing about his article in The Daily Express unnerves him. He is consistently thinking about these two encounters throughout the party. Therefore, it demonstrates that Gabriel slowly experiences conflict through these two events. The rising action also continues as Gabriel and his wife, Gretta, leave the party to go back to their hotel. Most of Gabriel's thoughts at this point are all about his wife and their romantic memories together. As Gabriel is more romantically inclinated towards his wife, the story comes to a climax because the reader does not know how Gretta will react in response to Gabriel's thoughts and actions. To the surprise of both Gabriel and the reader, Gretta dissolves into tears and recounts the sad story of her first lover, Michael Furey. The conflict is resolved when Gretta falls asleep and Gabriel comtemplates further and experiences an epiphany that his life lacks passion and his marriage lacks true love. This is ultimately the falling action in "The Dead". Overall, although "The Dead" follows the plot structure, its rising action can be seen as very long and slow. Its climax and falling action, however, is right towards the end of the story and takes place very rapidly. James Joyce's style of using an epiphany is often seen in the falling action when the main character experiences a self-realization. This then quickly leads to the story's end.
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